Better Caring expands to new heights as innovation flourishes in aged care

Media Release 17th July 2017

Better Caring, Australia's first online marketplace connecting independent care and support workers with clients, joined forces with COTA Australia and the Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt, to unveil Better Caring's brand new headquarters in Sydney this morning.

Launched in 2014, Better Caring is an online platform where people with a disability, or those who are ageing, can find and hire local care and support workers.

Federal Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt, said Better Caring's success since its inception in 2014 "foreshadows an exciting future for ageing Australia", highlighting the "promise of innovation to improve the lives of our ageing population."

"New workforce systems like this will be game changers, allowing us to remain at home longer and providing more flexibility than ever before," said Minister Wyatt.

Better Caring Founder, Peter Scutt, said the company's growth and expansion is a result of placing consumers and workers at the centre of the market and meeting the needs of an increasingly consumer-directed age care marketplace.

Over 20,000 people have signed up to Better Caring.

"Better Caring is pioneering "self-managed" home care packages by partnering with progressive Approved Providers who will host and administer a client's home care package and provide case management according to the consumer's needs, while the consumer is free to choose and schedule workers from the Better Caring platform according to their needs and preferences.

"When it boils down to it, what we are trying to do here is spark a new conversation about ageing in place and develop products which put choice and control back in the hands of the consumer and worker," said Peter Scutt.

Following the recent changes to Consumer Directed Care, Bette Rankin, switched her home care package to a provider who administers her package and works with Better Caring to enable Bette to directly hire workers through the platform.

By switching her package and paying a reduced administration fee, she has more than doubled the hours she can access with her Level 3 package.

"Better Caring has empowered me to select my own workers and decide on what type of support I receive and when I receive it. And because I have lower administrative fees I have more hours of support for the same amount of funding.

"It's a common sense solution for all involved and one that allows me to live my life as I choose. And because my workers and I have chosen each other it means we have a close working relationship from the very beginning," said Bette.

COTA Australia Chief Executive, Ian Yates, said the rapid growth of Better Caring underlines the preference of many consumers for self-managed packages of support and care at home, and government policy needs to support and enable this.

"Self-managed home care packages mean that consumers can arrange services that best meet their needs, when and where they want; and also purchase significantly more hours of care and support, from workers who they know and trust."

"Better Caring is a great example of an organisation which has thought outside of the box to deliver innovative solutions to the growing demands of an ageing population for greater choice and control," said Mr Yates.